Gears Of War:Carmine's Story
by JC Lane
Summary: This is the story told by Anthony Carmine leading up to the events in the first game where he was shot and believed dead.Some swear words but not a swear fest.Act 4 is now up.sorry about the wait.i'm working on another GOW fanfiction as well.
1. Act 1

Gears Of War: Carmine's Story

Act One: Another Day

My name is Anthony Carmine. I'm a soldier serving in the COG (Coalition of Ordered Government) army, also known as the Gears. Currently at 18, I plan on becoming a truly elite soldier when I'm older. Our home world of Sera has seen some horrific attacks in the past decade by some alien creatures called the Locust. We've been at war with them for 14 years now, so the government decided to gather the greatest able soldiers and assemble them into an army. That's how COG was formed.

A guy named Marcus Fenix, a COG soldier who was put in military prison for disobeying orders, is my idol. He's one of the best Gears there is, if not _the_ best. Our commanding officer, Colonel Hoffman, is a bit of an asshole but I still respect him as a leader. As for myself, I'm an excellent soldier, not afraid to get stuck in when it all gets messy. Although I've never undergone training, my battle experience still keeps me alive and kicking. 

Sadly, I have no family to speak of as my mother died in birth and my father was shot in the head by a Locust sniper during the battle of Aspho Fields, the same battle that caused Marcus Fenix to be imprisoned.

Anyway, I'm currently aboard a helicopter, about to ride into the heat of battle. Apparently, a Corpser was spotted in the vicinity. Man, I really hate those things. Their spider-like legs make me nervous as I have arachnophobia. The chopper lands and I load my Lancer Assault Rifle. I rev up the chainsaw bayonet and charge into the fight. A Locust drone attempts to fire at me but I take cover behind a broken piece of a pillar. Then, the silly bastard jams his gun when trying to reload so I seize the opportunity and blast him with my shotgun. His blood spatters my helmet and it becomes difficult for me to see what's coming next. Suddenly, the ground begins the tremble. I thought to myself _corpser. _With no sense of direction, I strive on the voices on the other COGs. This is incompetent as they all eventually get shot anyway. I panic and wipe my helmet but to my own surprise, the corpser is nowhere to be found or 

seen. That's when I soon realise it is just an emergence hole. Many Locust drones and grenadiers approach me with their weapons held up, so I make hast towards the nearest building, the Stranded Museum. Inside are Gears, including my buddy, Justin Cooler.

"Damn Carmine, you still alive?" he asks.

"Of course," I reply.

"I'd like you to meet my teammates," he announces.

"Ok."

"Sitting by the statue is Carlos. He's a private. Next to him is Garrett, who signed up just yesterday. And finally, the guy standing by the entrance is Brandon. He's a sergeant and squad leader.

"What about you, what rank are you?"

"I'm still a lousy corporal and second in command."

Our brief conversation is cut short because the Locust begin to storm the place. I suggest to the others that we radio for support and make our way 

to the choppers. They all agree and we battle our way outside again. The ground is covered with emergence holes, yet there seem to be little Locust left. I believe that the rest could've run off. Justin is having trouble adjusting to the polluted and smoky air clouds since he is not wearing a helmet like the rest of us.

We finally reach the extraction point after a fearsome battle with some drones and wretches. Carlos boards first, and then Garrett, Justin and I struggled on. However, Sergeant Brandon is still in the grounds fighting with the Locust. Justin calls for him but it would seem he cannot hear us. The pilot ushers a warning claiming he's got to get out of there. I decide to man the minigun turret to help Brandon. Although, my effort is in vein as he is attacked by a group of wretches who pin him to the ground and take turns in eating him alive. We have to get out of there.

Back at the Stranded outpost, I munch on my chicken sandwich which has a funky taste to it. Justin has been upset with the loss of Brandon and Garrett went somewhere to be sick. It turns out he's very squeamish. _What kind of soldier is squeamish? _

I thought. They see blood and violence everyday so why the hell did he sign up?

Carlos approaches me.

"I can't believe it, man," he utters.

"What, about Garrett?" I question.

"No. I already knew about Garrett's problem. It's Brandon. He's dead, and now we've got no Sergeant."

"Could I do it?"

"Nah, man. You need to have at least five year experience to lead a Gears squad."

"So five _months _won't cut it then?"

"Five months? You're certainly new to the COG then aren't you?"

"Yeah but I can still fight."

"Anybody can pick up a gun and shoot somebody. Anyway, what was your name again?"

"Carmine, Anthony Carmine."

"Wait. Your father fought as Aspho Fields didn't he? Brian Undertow Carmine, Delta Squad."

"Yeah. He helped Marcus Fenix bring down a corpser."

"Sweet, man."

"How's Justin?"

"Dunno, but rumour has it he was sent away on a different task."

I pick up and helmet and place it firmly on my head. Everybody can recognize me otherwise and I don't fancy another star interview. Beside me is my Lancer Rifle. I touch the bayonet but there is no pain. That's when I realise the spikes have gone blunt. I need to find another Lancer and fast. No one seems to be carrying one. They all got shotguns. A Stranded guy advances towards me with his Lancer Rifle. He slides it across to me and I check the ammo, only 137 bullets left. I decide to swap my ammo from my old gun into the new one and I now have 220 bullets. The chainsaw revs up. At least it works.

"I don't need it anymore," the Stranded inquires.

"Won't you get killed?" I ask nervously.

"Don't care. The world is never going to be the same again after those Locust assholes invaded."

"C'mon dude. There's still hope."

He gets up and goes inside a house. My ears start to ache. That's when I realise a King Raven helicopter is flying in. On board, I see Colonel Hoffman with a beautiful woman beside him. When it lands, Hoffman approaches me. I stand up and salute him.

"Cut the bullshit, private!" he boasts.

"Yes sir," I say.

"Anya, our control officer who keeps in contact with Gears squads, is being assigned to radio you for your new mission."

"New mission?"

A fair haired blonde woman steps off the King Raven holding a note book. I assume she is Anya. The Colonel slaps me round the head.

"Do not stare her up, private."

"Sorry, sir. Anyway what's my new mission?"

"We've been tracking down a certain commanding officer within the Locust ranks. His name is General RAAM."

The name seems familiar. I hear the word RAAM float through the air like an echo. Strange thoughts cloud my mind.

After gathering up my gear, I set off in the chopper to my next mission. As we're travelling past towns, I swear I can spot a batch of corpsers below. I feel a tingle up my spine...


	2. Act 2

Act Two: Dakar

We've already had to skip the first LZ (landing zone) due to heavy fire from Locust troops. The chopper is now en route to the new LZ. I continue to look down at the destroyed towns. God, this war has torn our planet apart. Sera used to be a welcoming place. The skies were blue and the ground was soft. Now, smog fills the air and as for the ground, the emergence holes have done a pretty nasty job of destroying it.

The second LZ is in plain sight and I don't think there's any Locust down there to ruin the landing. At that moment, a Reaver attacks the King Raven, sending me flying off the edge. Hoffman manages to grab hold of my arm and hoist me back on.

"Thanks, sir." I say. He simply nods. We thunder down towards the LZ. My Lancer Rifle perches on my back and my pistol is in my gun pouch attached to my left leg. With no one to aid me if I got shot, if the worse was to happen, nobody could save me and I was deep into Locust territory.

Surprisingly, I reached the town of Dakar in one piece and the Locust had not attempted to attack me. In fact, there are none around. Something must be up. Slowly pacing through the abandoned streets, I come across a corpse. It seems to be a COG solder. I check his tags, Brian Callas. The name doesn't ring any bells, so I assume he's ever a veteran or a newbie. Even so, it's a sickening sight to gaze down upon a body of a fellow comrade of the Gears.

Strange and heavy breathing sounds are made from a building across from me. I take it my brief moment of piece is over. What happens next is shocking. Not one, but two Berserkers emerge from the house. Hoffman told me about these things. Apparently, they're blind and only attack if they can hear your footsteps. Knowing if I try and panic and run they'll kill me, I decide to take caution with my stepping. If my eyesight was any better, I would've spotted the large stone on the ground in front of me. A crack sound goes off. Both Berserkers turn in my direction and I realise there's no use in staying to fight. One of them charges whilst the other one walks off in another direction. I'm _truly_ buggered 

now. However, unlike most soldiers, I don't panic so easily. I pull out my snub pistol and open fire on the charging beast. She is stunned for a minute by my gun fire which gives me the chance to take refuge in another abandoned house.

I hear her footsteps outside, their thundering. It actually jolts my helmet off but I decide to leave it behind and hike upstairs to verify if there's any ammo left by the Stranded. Windows have been put through and there are cracks running across the rusty floorboards. They don't exactly feel like they're going to support me much longer so I'll have to leave soon.

Many ammo crates lye around but they all seem to be empty. This is quite disappointing since I used up all my pistol ammo to refract that Berserker outside. Swooping in the sky, nemacyst all fly in one direction, towards the centre of town. I wonder what they're up to.

The Berserker has gone up the street and is no longer visible to me, so I head back downstairs and on the street again. Colonel Hoffman had told me that RAAM was spotted in the north to Dakar and 

is planning to unleash his 'Kryll Army' on the sleeping town. That must mean that survivors are close by. Figuring that I'm alone, Hoffman probably doesn't want me meeting up with anybody, so I best stay out of sight. Sneaking isn't really my kind of choice in battle but it'll have to do for now. Maybe Hoffman will contact me, giving the all clear to attack some Locust.

I'm so bored right now, kicking empty cans about on the abandoned roads. There are no people, no cars, and no signs of life. _What could've happened to this place?_

"Drop your weapon!" a voice shouts. I think there's a group of Stranded behind me.

"It's ok, I'm on your side," I reply.

"I'm serious. Drop it now!"

Not wanting any unnecessary attention, I place my Lancer on the ground and back away from it.

"Good, at least you have a brain."

"Is this gonna be long?"

No response, weird. That's before I could realise he was preparing to swing his shotgun at 

me. The gun bashes across my helmet and I fade out to the floor.

When I awake, I find myself in some boarded up apartment. It seems like a prison cell to me. There's a coded panel to unlock the iron door. I wonder what they plan to do to me.

I've got no time for this now. I need to think of an escape plan soon and get back to my assignment. There's no luck with punching the crap out of it and the Stranded stripped me of all my weapons, including grenades. Maybe if I just wait for them to release me, or at least try to jump the guy with the code when he returns.

Several minutes pass and I think I'm losing it. Nobody has even passed my cell yet. I've had enough of this shit. With all my effort, I manage to damage the door with constant kicking. The guards must have heard because they all immediately rush to my cell. They cut through the door with a laser beam and storm in. I'm casually lying in the bed reading a book on Dakar's beaches.

"Hey you, what was that noise just now?" one of them squeak.

"Don't ask me," I simply reply.

"Must've been faulty wiring then. Everyone move back to your stations, now."

The guy at the back seems to be carrying mu Lancer. I lunge off the bed and elbow him in the back. He falls to the ground with a thump. The others turn and see their friend knocked out on the floor and begin to shoot at me. Luckily, I use the door as a shield an then I kick it back into them. Judging by the loud thud, I assume they're all out cold as well.

After finding my helmet and snub pistol, I find the front entrance and leave, making sure to lock it afterwards so the Stranded can't chase me when they awake. I seem to be on the other side of town. A faint engine sound comes. Looking down the street, I don't spot anything out of the ordinary, so I continue through each path, hoping to see General RAAM lurking about.

My reactions aren't quick enough as a Junker speeds past me and knocks me to the ground. It comes to a sudden halt. Three Gears emerge from the back.

"Yo, I think we might have killed him," says the taller one. My vision is a bit blurred so I'm unable to make out who they are.

"Holy shit! It's Carmine."

"Help me up here, guys," I plea.

"He's still alive."

I start to regain control of my eyes and manage to make out a plump, red face. It's Justin. He hoists me to my feet and carries me back to the Junker.

Inside are lots of guns. Lancers, snubs, boltoks, shotguns, hammerbursts, grenades, smoke grenades, you name it, they've got it.

"We've been stocking up to hunt RAAM down," Justin exclaims.

"That's what I'm here for too."

"That's really strange. Hoffman told us that we're the only ones out here in Dakar."

"We?" I glance around and notice the other two dudes that were with Justin.

"Santiago's the name," the muscular guy says. "Dominic Santiago. My buddies call me Dom."

"Wait a minute. You're one of Marcus Fenix's mats, aren't you?"

"The one and only."

"Listen guys," buys in Justin. "-RAAM is said to be in the southwest. We'll head there first. Dom, Carmine, you two are going in by Junker. Sparky and I will travel there on foot.

"On foot," the other guy moans. I presume he's Sparky.

"Yes, on foot. You need the exercise."

Then, the two of them set out and Dom starts up the engine. I collect all the ammo I need and then grab some grenades. We're going Locust hunting.


	3. Act 3

Act Three: RAAM's Decoy

Dom is struggling to get the Junker past 30mph. I know Junkers were built for weapon vehicles against the Kryll but this is taking the piss. We don't even need the light ray at the moment, the Sun is barely setting.

"Piece of shit," Dom mumbles as he throttles the Junker into fifth gear. I try to remain hopeful, knowing that Justin and Sparky are probably close to RAAM's location by now. Dom continues in his negative state to diss the 'piece of shit' as it is known as to him.

We finally arrive to the supposed stronghold where RAAM is holed up in. Me and Dom glaze around but see nothing, not even a hint that the Locust were here, or are here.

Suddenly, Dom's radio buzzes.

"Dom shit Dom!" screams a voice from the other end. It sounds like Sparky's.

"What's going on, Sparky?" questions Dom.

"RAAM's here, by us. Justin's taken some damage and is suffering from heavy bleeding, ARGGHHHHH!"

A cold silence brews. The radio falls silent. Dom's face is in disbelief. We head back into the Junker and set off in a different direction.

Just as expected, when we reach the _real _fortress, General RAAM is standing at the peak on the top floor. The structure itself seems to have seen its fair share of assaults. Sparky's corpse lies ahead of us, multiple bullets to the skull. However, Justin is nowhere to be seen or heard.

Dom decides to look for him whilst I take care of RAAM's bodyguards. There are hundreds of Locust drones about. Since I'm outnumbered, I shan't take any risks. Hoffman is counting on me to take this bastard out. There's a broken pillar nearby so I take cover behind it. Still, the Locust aren't completely dumb and they start to flank me.

Dom soon returns with an injured Justin by his side.

"Jesus Carmine, you don't know when to die," he sniggers. I'm amazed he's laughing because I 

would not be if I had my arm covered in my own blood. We all begin to fight back and the Locust are overwhelmed with our grenade assault and fall back into the fortress. As for RAAM, he's still standing on the top balcony but none of us can get a shot from here. But what he does next is astonishing.

Leaping from such a height, he lands on the ground; just across from we are in the courtyard. Dom and I start unloading our bullets into his body but he doesn't seem to be feeling a thing. Justin makes a run for it to the Junker and revs up the engine. Believing he's leaving without us, Dom panics and rushes away as well, leaving me to deal with RAAM on my own.

Just as I think I'm about to be maggot food, the same King Raven chopper that dropped me off in Dakar arrives. On board is Hoffman, Anya and some Gears.

"Carmine, he's a decoy!" Hoffman shouts.

I begin to realise what he means. The Locust in front of me is wearing the same gear as a standard Theron guard dons. Realising he's not so tough after all, Justin re-emerges from the Junker with 

Dom and the two of them shoot down the Theron with pistols. He lets out a final howl of pain before dying. I still cannot believe that I wasted my time over a stupid decoy. Hoffman owes me, big time.


	4. Act 4

Act Four: Operation Vanguard

The colonel congratulates me on my successive mission but I'm still pissed off that there was a decoy. And also, what was Justin doing there as well. He's not at control at the moment because of his injuries, so they carted him off to the medical centre.

"Listen up, private!" Hoffman yells. "Your new mission is to secure a former COG base of defence that was captured by the Locust not too long ago. They've probably got hostages."

"Locust don't take _hostages_, sir," Dom says.

"Oh really, cut the crap. Listen, we can't get you boys close enough the base because Troika guards are expecting company so they'll destroy a chopper within the vicinity in seconds."

"Then how the fuck do we get close then?" I bellow.

"Don't use that tone of voice with me, private. Your mother, god rest her soul, didn't want an inbreed piece of crap, but your certainly acting like one now. Think _outside _of the box for once."

"That's a bit harsh, sir," Dom inquires.

"Huh, never mind. You'll be going in by that Junker you recently found. Our best mechanics are working on it now to tweak the speed and remove the light ray on it to lose some weight. That way, it'll move faster. As for weapons, we're giving you both Hammer of Dawn guns. These things blast a laser ray that is targeted from a satellite. However, there's a twist. It will only work if your outside and the satellite have to be online. The lovely Anya will keep in contact with you."

"You said she would last time," I state.

"Yes, but next time, remember to bring you bloody EARPIECE!" His face turned purple through all the shouting.

"Sorry, sir. I must've forgotten it."

"Anyway, back to your equipment. Of course, you'll be issued a standard snub pistol as always but this time, no chainsaw bayoneted Lancers.

"WHAT?!" me and Dom bellowed in unison.

"This is a new prototype Lancer, the mark II if you want to be fancy. Our weapons expert informed 

us that the bayonet would have to be removed to accelerate the speed of fire."

With that, we are handed our new weapons and told to get into the newly improved Junker. Dom seems pissed off with the Lancer-II and so am I, but we need to use what we're given in the battlefield. I'm also interested to see what this 'Hammer of Dawn' is like. Hopefully we'll get to test it out soon.

After about six miles of non-stop driving, Dom pulls over by an abandoned gas station to refill the Junker. While he's gone, I have to stand guard in case any Locust come. I'm so bored right now and the air inside my helmet is picking up the temperature.

A couple of minutes later, Dom returns with the gas pump and juices up the Junker. We then begin to set off again.

We eventually reach a Stranded outpost. There is no sign of happiness here. Everywhere I look, hopeless faces gaze back at me. I wonder what occurred here. Dom starts to feel spooked out by their expressions and orders me to haul ass and get 

back in the Junker, so I comply his suggestion and clamber into the Junker.

We eventually reach the heavily guarded fortress. Mine and Dom's face must look like some picture because our jaws are at the floor.

"Five troikas," Dom begins to say, "five _fucking _troikas. We were not equipped for this kind of thing. Carmine, pass me your earpiece. I'm telling Hoffman about this."

He goes off to inform the colonel of what we're up against here. There's even wretches' fumbling around the front court. I head back into the Junker to find my sniper rifle. When I return outside, Dom is sitting on a boulder.

"So what'd he say?" I ask nervously.

"We've got reinforcements coming in by chopper soon, but until then we're on our own."

"Shit, shit, shit. I'm not cut out for this. I've barely got the skills to fight wretches."

"That's it, I'm going in," he announces.

"Dom, wait. I'm coming too."

Our first objective is to retake the control room. Dom tells me there are probably Boomers on the site too. Boomers are massive Locust which carry round Boomshots, which are effectively the Locust version of a rocket launcher.

Also, our friends the Theron Guards are present, each of them holding a new type of weapon, shaped like a crossbow. Dom decides that we're not waiting for the back-up to arrive and we must deal with this using brain over brawn. I happily oblige, instantly knowing that Dom is not in the mood for an argument with me. Abruptly, the radio goes off.

"Bravo Two, this is Delta," the voice says from the other end. "We're coming soon, hold out: ETA 4 minutes."

"Negative, Delta!" Dom yells. "There's far too many troika gun placements."

"Come again, Bravo Two. You're breaking up."

"Listen, don't come yet. Fall back!" It is made obvious that they've lost contact with us because of the continuous fuzzy noises. Dom's becoming irritated.

"Ah shit. There's nothing we can do now. Carmine, get you guns and take care of those troikas."

"What about you?" I ask curiously.

"I'm gonna take care of the Therons," he answers.

I approach the courtyard carefully, staying out of sight. If the Locust spot me, I'm buzzard food. Dom is making fine progress with hiding as well. It's all about to kick off when...the helicopters arrive.


End file.
